Page 86 of The Psychopath Next Door

I tried to hurry on, but Emma stopped. ‘How’s Albie?’ she asked.

‘He’s getting better.’ He tapped the side of his head. ‘His brain. They reckon he’s gonna make a full recovery.’

‘That’s amazing. What a relief.’

‘Too right.’ He belched, then his eyes focused on me. I thought he might vomit on my shoes, so I took a step back. It seemed he had something to say.

‘You let her look after your kid, don’t you?’

I found myself frozen.

‘Whatever she says about me, it’s a lie.’ His words were slurred, his S’s coming out with ashhsound.Ish a lie.He jabbed a finger towards us. ‘Don’t ever try to take her photo. She’ll freakrightout. And I don’t care what she says. I wouldn’t touch her with a barge pole. With somebody else’s barge pole. Not like you, eh, Ethan?’

This was the moment I’d been dreading.

‘What’s he talking about?’ Emma asked.

I shook my head, trying to act ignorant, wanting to push Tommy in front of a passing bus.

Tommy belched again, pressing his fist to his lips.

‘If I lived next to that psycho, I’d move out. And I wouldn’t let my kids anywhere near her.Icertainly wouldn’t shag her.’

With that, he staggered away, into the road, a taxi swerving to avoid him, the driver sounding the horn furiously.

I turned to Emma and, to my horror, saw fury on her face.

‘What the hell was he talking about? You’ve gone completely pale, so do not try to tell me you have no idea.’

All I could do was be honest.

‘He got the wrong end of the stick.’

‘Which stick?’

‘He saw Fiona give me a hug, that was all. In her kitchen.’

‘What? Why the hell was Fiona hugging you in her kitchen?’

‘Because ... because I saw you with Mike. I was upset, needed comforting ...’

I knew that was a poor choice of words, but it was too late. ‘Wait. Why didn’t you tell me you saw me with Mike? We had a whole big heart-to-heart about that very subject and you didn’t mention it?’

‘I was about to when you brought it up.’

‘Hold on. It sounds like you didn’t mention it because it led to you going round to Fiona’s so she could “comfort” you. Oh my God, this is the real reason you want Rose to stop seeing her, isn’t it? You’re afraid Fiona will let it slip there’s something going on between you.’

‘No! Emma, that’s not right. It has nothing to do with that. And there isn’t anything going on between us!’

But she had stopped listening, was already walking away. I hurried to catch up with her. ‘It was ahug. That’s all. And I didn’t want you to think I’d been watching you. I was so relieved when you told me there was nothing between you and Mike, I didn’t see the need to tell you I’d seen you.’

She kept walking.

‘Emma. What about what Tommy said about Fiona?’

‘He’s just a drunk idiot. Probably tried it on with her and she rejected him. Trying to take her photo? Probably leaning over her fence when she was in her bikini. Or pointing his phone at herbedroom window when she was getting dressed. And she caught him and called him out for it. Now stop talking to me.’

We walked the rest of the way home in silence. When we reached our house, I looked over at Iris’s. The downstairs lights were on, and I remembered a taxi was due to pick her up at one to take her to the airport. I was chuffed for her, and proud that I’d helped her afford the trip.

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